1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an absorbent animal bedding product and a process for manufacturing the product from heavy cardboard boxes and wood pallets which are used to ship automotive parts and the like to assembly plants. The invention provides not only a superior bedding product but also solves a serious waste disposal problem faced by industries that generate waste pallets and cardboard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automotive assembly plants continuously receive automotive parts in heavy cardboard boxes that are attached to wood pallets. After the automotive parts are removed, the boxes and pallets must be disposed of. In some cases, the cardboard boxes are attached to the pallets but in other cases they are not. In the past, the cardboard and pallets have been manually separated and the cardboard has been baled for disposal. The waste material has in some cases been incinerated and in other cases disposed of in garbage dumps or the like. The disposal of these waste products has been time consuming and expensive and has created environmental problems.
At the same time, there has been a serious need for absorbent materials to use as animal bedding products or to absorb chemical spills and the like. A variety of natural materials have been used such as straw or sawdust. The Morgan et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,324, issued Sep. 3, 1991, identifies the composition and usage of many such materials. It is generally desirable that the material be very absorbent, have no ingredients which would create health problems for the animals, and be biodegradable. It is also desirable that the material be readily available on a regular basis in large quantities, at low cost.
Although natural materials such as sawdust, wood chips or wood pellets have been used in the past, they have not always met the needs of feed lot operators or dairy farmers. Sawdust, for example is quite absorbent but layers of sawdust will not support the weight of an animal in a feed lot after it has absorbed substantial amounts of animal excretions. When used with dairy cattle, it will not hold together and may be slippery. Animal litter made from other natural material have similar problems. Also, if the source material is not initially a waste product or if it is not readily available in large quantities near the area where it is to be used, it may be too expensive to produce or transport, or sufficient quantities may not be available to make the process commercially feasible.